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Apple Pressured Into (Seemingly) Supporting Right to Repair

posted by janrinok on Thursday November 18 2021, @07:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the for-how-long-and-how-well? dept.

takyon writes:

The shareholder fight that forced Apple's hand on repair rights

Wednesday morning, Apple announced that the company will soon make parts and repair manuals available to the general public, reversing years of restrictive repair policies. The new policy represents a seismic shift for a company that has fought independent repair for years by restricting access to parts, manuals, and diagnostic tools, designing products that are difficult to fix, and lobbying against laws that would enshrine the right to repair.

But Apple didn't change its policy out of the goodness of its heart. The announcement follows months of growing pressure from repair activists and regulators — and its timing seems deliberate, considering a shareholder resolution environmental advocates filed with the company in September asking Apple to re-evaluate its stance on independent repair. Wednesday is a key deadline in the fight over the resolution, with advocates poised to bring the issue to the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve.

Apple spokesperson Nick Leahy told The Verge that the program "has been in development for well over a year," describing it as "the next step in increasing customer access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and manuals." Leahy declined to say whether the timing of the announcement was influenced by shareholder pressure.

Apple makes parts and manuals available to all (15m35s Louis Rossmann video)

See also: Apple makes a concession to 'right to repair' movement, will let you repair your own iPhone
Opinion: Another Apple PR fail as company waits until forced to act over Right to Repair
Apple gives in on right-to-repair
Apple Folds to Right to Repair Movement – Will Allow Customers to Perform iPhone, Mac Repairs From 2022

Previously: Apple Sued an Independent iPhone Repair Shop Owner and Lost
Apple Exports Independent Repair Provider Program to Europe and Canada
Apple, Microsoft, and Google Team Up to Block Right to Repair Laws
Apple and John Deere Shareholder Resolutions Demand They Explain Their Bad Repair Policies
Leaked Apple Training Videos Show How it Undermines Third-Party Repair

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 18 2021, @09:48PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 18 2021, @09:48PM (#1197580)

    I wonder how far back parts and replacements will stretch. I have a couple of SE/30 machines that could use some replacements, such as a new CRT.

    That said not holding my breath there, it's probably not stretching that far back.

    Obviously not. The manufacturer of the SE/30 tube probably does not exist anymore and even if they do, they are probably not making CRTs anymore and lack the production capability to do so.

    That being said, there are still companies manufacturing CRTs to this day, such as Dotronix [dotronix.com] in the USA. They might be able to help you, although it's probably more cost effective to buy a parts mule on eBay to salvage the tube out of. The same tube was likely used in multiple products.